3 Best Prop Bets for Lakers vs Nuggets NBA Playoffs Game 1 on May 16 (Austin Reaves Stays Hot From Beyond the Arc)

Tuesday's NBA Playoffs slate features an exciting Game 1 showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. These teams split their four regular season meetings and last met in the postseason during the 2020 Western Conference Finals, where the Lakers advanced in five games.

Here are three of the best prop bets for Lakers-Nuggets Game 1, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Lakers vs Nuggets Game 1 Player Props

1. Austin Reaves - Made Threes: Over 1.5 (-138)

The Lakers are going to need other players outside of Anthony Davis and LeBron James to score if they want any shot of upsetting the Nuggets inside Ball Arena. Austin Reaves has proven he can be relied on as that guy during his final three contests against the Warriors as he averaged 19.7 points per game on a 48.7% shooting mark. What was even more impressive was the fact that he drained at least a trio of three-pointers in each of those showdowns. (10-of-17 overall). The former Oklahoma standout has now tallied at least a pair of made three-pointers in seven of the Lakers' 12 playoff games so far.

2. Anthony Davis - Assists: Under 2.5 (-102)

Nikola Jokic is capable of defending Anthony Davis one-on-one, meaning the Lakers' center will not be forced to pass out of double teams as much as he was in the second round of the playoffs. After all, Davis logged less than 3 assists in two of his three matchups against Denver in the regular season. Keep in mind the Nuggets also rank fourth in the NBA when it comes to assists allowed to opposing centers (3.24). Davis should have a scoring mentality tonight as the Lakers attempt to earn a crucial road win, so don't expect him to be looking for his teammates.

3. Michael Porter Jr. - Points: Over 15.5 (+100)

This series is going to come down to matchups and Michael Porter Jr. may draw the best matchup of any Denver player. In all likelihood, Anthony Davis will be guarding Nikola Jokic and LeBron James will be guarding Aaron Gordon. That leaves Porter to take on the likes of smaller guys like D'Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves. Even if he finds himself guarded by Jarred Vanderbilt, Porter Jr. has the speed to make him pay with drives to the rim. In the only regular season game Porter Jr. played against LA with Davis/James healthy, he dropped 17 points and tallied 15 shot attempts from the floor. He has scored at least 16 points in each of the three games in which he has logged at least 14 shots during the postseason, too.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.